Lance Armstrong

Named the Sportsman of the year for 2002 by Sports Illustrated magazine, Lance Armstrong has won the acclaimed Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005; a record in itself. Born Lance Gunderson in Plano, Texas on the September 18, 1971, he began his sporting career as a triathlete at the age of 16. He finished 14th in the 1992 Olympics and performed abysmally at the Clasica San Sebastian. He avenged this defeat at the World Road Championships in Oslo, Norway with a solo ride to his first victory. He won stages in 1993 and 1995 editions of the Tour de France with Team Motorola. After ranking second in the 1994 and first in 1995 and 1996 Tour DuPont races, he was diagnosed with stage three testicular cancer on October 2, 1996. The cancer had metastasized to his lungs and brain by the time it was discovered. Even with just 40% chances of survival, Lance recovered after a severe chemotherapy and surgery to remove his right testicle and the two lesions in his brain. Lance chose a severe chemotherapy over a standard one to avoid the side effects, associated with the latter, leading to reduced lung functioning; resulting in a halt in his cycling career. After recovery, he signed on with the United States Postal Service Pro Cycling Team and returned to his cycling career in 1998. Today, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, founded in 2004 by Lance and funded by Nike, aims to support cancer victims and increase awareness. The foundation, in collaboration with Nike, came out with a wristband named Livestrong for the 'Wear Yellow Live Strong' educational program aimed to raise $5 million for its fight against cancer. The band was yellow in color signifying the importance of professional cycling and Lance's victorious yellow jersey in the Tour de France. Recent estimates state a sale of over 58 million bands by January 2006. Nike's recently launched the Livestrong range of footwear that is affiliated to this foundation.